Convenience and speed are crucial in the modern digital world. Today’s consumers rely on online businesses for everything from food and furnishings to home goods and accessories, so the days when online shopping was limited to clothing are long gone. But as the popularity of online shopping increases, so do emissions and the usage of single-use shipping plastics, as well as other irksome packaging materials like packing peanuts and cardboard boxes.
Fortunately, there are many eco-friendly online businesses available for consumers who like the convenience of online purchasing but would rather stay away from merchants with dubious sustainability credentials. We’ve located stores that are environmentally conscious and decrease extra packaging waste, offset their emissions, or contribute to other charitable causes.
Here are the top eco-friendly online stores that are striving for a better planet for us all.
Earth Hero
With clothing, accessories, home goods, tech products, beauty and personal care items, pet supplies, outdoor gear, and even travel items, Earth Hero is pretty much a one-stop shop for all things eco-friendly. The company only sells products that are sourced, manufactured, and shipped in eco-friendly ways, making it our top overall choice. It only works with manufacturers using better materials like upcycled cotton, recycled rubber, and sustainably harvested wood.
The company also has a partnership with CarbonFund and offset its carbon footprint. It uses recycled, recyclable, and compostable packaging made in the United States. Check out the “Zero Waste” section for sustainable essentials like reusable water bottles, stainless steel straws, and reusable food containers, and don’t miss the audio and tech options like compostable phone cases, eco-friendly laptop cases, and wooden charging docks.
Eartheasy
Looking to be a little more self-sufficient, or trying to win Yard of the Month the sustainable way? Eartheasy offers numerous natural lawn and garden items like organic fertilizer and insecticide, and items to start growing your own vegetables like raised garden beds, greenhouses, planters, and recycled plastic chicken coops.
The company offsets greenhouse gas emissions created from its office and reuses shipping boxes and packaging when possible. Eartheasy also supports Trees for the Future by planting a tree for every order placed online, and partners with the EPA WaterSense program to promote water conservation. Aside from lawn and garden items, Eartheasy also offers camping supplies, home goods, and sustainable lifestyle products like reusable bags and compost bins.
Thrive Market
Want organic and non-GMO groceries delivered directly to your door? Check out Thrive Market, an online, membership-based market. For just $5 a month, you get access to more than 5,000 sustainable products anywhere from 25-50% retail prices. Besides offering eco-friendly products, Thrive Market uses carbon-neutral shipping, zero-waste warehouses, and recyclable/compostable packaging.
The market’s one-for-one membership matching program means that your paid membership gives a free one for a low-income family, student, teacher, veteran, or first responder. You can start with a risk-free 30-day trial to see if it works with your lifestyle.
EcoRoots
Dedicated to environmental change, products from EcoRoots ship completely plastic free with shipping materials made from 100% recyclable and compostable materials. EcoRoots products are cruelty-free and come from numerous small businesses whose values align with EcoRoots’.
Read Also: What is The Most Sustainable Product?
The company offers an array of home goods, including zero-waste laundry detergent, reusable grocery and produce bags, bamboo cutlery, compostable dish cloths, vegan food wraps, and reusable coffee filters. EcoRoots is a member of 1% for the Planet, and donates 1 % of sales annually towards sustainability initiatives. Bath and beauty products like mouthwash tablets, reusable pantyliners, and skincare items are also available.
Pact
A favorite of Treehugger staff, you’ll find Pact’s basics on many of our lists of recommended products, from socks to tee shirts. This direct to consumer retailer sell certified organic and Fair Trade apparel designed for women, men, kids, and babies, in addition to bedding and towels. It’s one of the few sustainable brands offering maternity clothes, and we also love that you can buy wardrobe basics in bundles for a discount.
Pact offers carbon neutral shipping. You can even use the box your clothing came in to donate any unwanted clothing through a partnership with Give Back Box.
Made Trade
Shop for clothing, bags, and jewelry for the whole family via Made Trade, and feel good about clicking “add to bag.” Made Trade products come from makers who are paid fair wages, as the company adheres to international Fair Trade guidelines and labor practices. The company strives to source materials that are local to the region where products are being made and use makers and artisans around the world to use traditional art forms to make clothing.
Sustainable products offered by Made Trade use responsibly harvested raw materials, upcycled and recycled materials, and all-natural, eco-friendly plant- and mineral-based dyes. The company even offers vegan products that are free of animal products and byproducts. Check out the comfy kaftans and tunics, and grab a unisex hoodie for a cozy yet earth-friendly gift.
Etsy Furniture
Whatever your aesthetic may be, Etsy is a great place to start when looking for one-of-a-kind and eco-friendly furniture. The site features loads of small businesses that craft authentic pieces from upcycled and recycled materials. Looking for a reclaimed wood dining table? Or maybe a wooden floating nightstand or an L-shaped desk? You can find it on Etsy.
A quick site search of “sustainable furniture” or “eco-friendly furniture” pulls up numerous different types of eco-friendly options, and when you find your favorite makers, you can even search their Etsy shops for specific items.
Package Free
With a mission to “make the world less trashy,” Package Free Shop offers sustainable alternatives to everyday products like toothbrushes and toothpaste, shampoo and conditioner, body wash, razors, bath sponges, hair ties, deodorant, and even condoms.
Everything they carry is vetted by a team of sustainability experts, and products are shipped completely plastic-free, with shipping materials that are 100% recyclable and compostable. The company even ensures that all of its inbound shipments from vendors are also plastic-free.
Package Free Shop has implemented Zero Waste principles in all of its business operations as well, and offers composting, recycling, and Terracycle bins in its offices and warehouse. Plus, all of the equipment, from furniture to electronics, is secondhand, refurbished, recyclable, or circular. Check out the selection of cotton face pads, shampoo bars, and deodorant creams, and be sure to try the lip balms and face toners.
Jungalow
Vibrant wallpaper prints, funky statement pillows and rugs, and eclectic planters, table runners, place settings, and wall decor collide for a boho/garden-chic aesthetic. Jungalow works with vendors from all over the world to source sustainable, artisan products made with organic, upcycled, and recycled fabrics and natural, recyclable, and compostable materials.
The ceramics are made with non-toxic finishes and manufactured with water conservation in mind. Rugs are handcrafted in India using traditional dip-dyeing and weaving methods, and pillows must pass the Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certification system to ensure no harmful substances are present.
With every purchase from Jungalow, at least two trees are planted, and to date, the company has planted more than 48,000 trees, which helps the environment and helps provide food security and income to communities in Africa. Jungalow has a goal to be 100% free of single-use plastics and styrofoam by 2022, and strives to work with vendors using sustainable packaging. Jungalow also gives back to nonprofits such as ACLU, Black Lives Matter, Girls Who Code, The Rainforest Alliance, and more.
Which Brands Are The Most Eco-friendly?
Fast fashion is one of the most polluting sectors in the world, despite the fact that when we think of pollution, we typically associate it with large oil firms and coal mine haze. Aside from harming our world, an excessive amount of clothes is produced at the expense of farmers and other producers due to chemicals and waste.
Thankfully, there are lots of eco-friendly clothing companies using eco-friendly manufacturing processes. The best organic and sustainable clothing is produced by these manufacturers using organic cotton, upcycled natural materials, and low-impact dyes.
Trying to overcome a fast fashion habit can seem overwhelming, but switching to eco-friendly apparel doesn’t have to happen overnight. Start small, keeping these environmentally friendly clothing brands in mind for the next time you get the itch to update your closet.
1. Patagonia
For durable outdoor clothing and gear that won’t harm the environment, Patagonia is number one. From moisture-wicking tees to water-repellant hiking shorts that won’t chafe (not to mention their famous fleeces and insulated jackets!), the brand is our go-to for high-performing and high-quality clothing for all our favorite things to do outside. With 98% of their clothing line boasting recycled materials, plus the brand’s environmental impact transparency and sustainability initiatives, you can feel good about supporting a company that truly values the planet.
2. tentree
As a certified B Corp, tentree upholds the highest standards for people and the planet in its manufacturing process. As the name suggests, the company plants 10 trees for each item purchased and has a goal of planting one billion trees by 2030. (The company has planted over 70 million trees to date!) The clothing is perfect for the activewear & loungewear lover (we love the men’s joggers!), and everything is made from varying sustainable fabrics like organic cotton and Tencel and crafted in Europe and India.
3. Pact
Loved for its line of basics, Pact knows that going organic has benefits for consumers, farmers, and the planet. The brand’s organic cotton clothing uses up to 81 percent less water than traditional cotton, avoids the use of chemicals, and is supremely softer than the alternative—a true win-win for everyone involved. A personal favorite can be loungewear and sleepwear, engineered for all-day (and night!) comfort, leaving you feeling comfortable and confident.
4. MATE the Label
For clean, conscious fashion that prioritizes comfort and sustainability, we’re looking to MATE the Label. The women-founded brand creates cozy essentials from natural fibers using circular, ethical manufacturing that is good for the planet, the people who make the garments, and the people who wear them. From joggers to leggings to sweatshirts and more, elevate your daily favorites with these gorgeous, cozy basics.
5. For Days
For Days is creating apparel for (better) days. With a focus on zero-waste clothing, closed-loop systems, and circular fashion, this eco-friendly brand is all about quality basics that can be returned at a later time and recycled into new pieces. In exchange, you’ll receive a swap credit that you can use for new clothes so you can upgrade your closet, too. Customers especially love the “For All” collection of unisex apparel, the ‘90s inspired tees, and lounge-friendly rompers—mostly made with organic cotton or recycled terry, and sewn in Morocco.
6. Avocado
This newly launched fashion brand comes from the beloved natural bedding company Avocado, so you can expect the same impressive eco-friendly standards. The B Corp (that’s also Climate Neutral Certified) crafts lush loungewear and super-soft basics, like cardigans, joggers, hoodies, tees, and more. They’re made from organic and sustainably grown cotton, biodegradable modal, and alpaca fiber sourced from a regenerative farm in Peru—and they’re all crafted with nontoxic dyes.
7. Reformation
Reformation is a TGT fave for their sustainable, on-trend fashion that uses recycled and regenerative fabrics to create looks we love. The LA-based brand creates some of our favorite occasion dresses and staple denim pieces from upcycled and sustainable materials, and even recently launched its own recycled resale program, RefRecycling, so they can buy back your old Ref pieces to be created into new styles. Love that! We also love that they make it easy to learn about their sustainability practices and environmental impact reports by publishing everything on their website.
8. Thought
Want to go green (and every color in between) with your closet? Thought has got the goods: This UK brand’s eco-friendly fabrics like hemp, bamboo, and GOTS-certified organic cotton are made with sustainability in mind. And Thought’s clothes are top quality, too, so you don’t need to wash them after just one wear. Some clients are obsessed with the bright colors, stunning knits, and stylish patterns—and the fact that their price points are so reasonable.